Education

Fifth graders at Laurel Elementary School have been up to some interesting extracurricular activities this past school year, aimed at preparing students for real world career experience.

The Wildcat News crew live streamed its final broadcast of the year on June 1, to wish students a fun-filled summer and congratulate everyone on their accomplishments of transitioning to the next grade level.

Galax Schools’ Assistant Superintendent Rebecca Cardwell is retiring in early June after 36 years of experience in education.

Cardwell, known for her drive to improve students’ education and friendly, soft-spoken demeanor, took a moment in her last week of employment to look back on her career.

Born in Galax, and a GHS graduate, Cardwell pursued higher education at Virginia Tech, took on a double major in agronomy and agricultural education that netted her a degree in 1980, and immediately came back to the Twin Counties to start working in Galax.

INDEPENDENCE — After two years serving as principal of Grayson County High School, Robbie Patton has announced that he will retire at the end of the school year.
In a letter to the school, Patton cited that his reasons for retiring from the position are in the interest of his family; and that he plans to explore a new calling in the near future.
“Being a secondary school principal has been the most challenging and rewarding job I have ever had the privilege of holding,” Patton said in his letter.

INDEPENDENCE — In a statement on social media to parents on Wednesday evening, Schools Superintendent Kelly Wilmore announced that their budget’s shortfall for the 2018-19 school year, in addition to other factors, has led the schools to consider one of three options, the most probable of the three being to close Baywood Elementary School before the beginning of the 2018-19 school year.
The other proposed options were to close Fairview Elementary School, or to cut seven positions and seven programs at the Career and Technical Education (CATE) Center.

HILLSVILLE – Many young minds began the next chapter in the book of their lives last Saturday, as 267 students from the Carroll County High School class of 2018 turned over their tassels, receiving diplomas in various areas of studies.

The commencement opened with a greeting from CCHS student body co-presidents and a celebration of “hard work, dedication and the countless hours of development, growth and prosperity through education at CCHS,” as described by Co-President Houston Elizabeth Dixon.

HILLSVILLE — Dr. Beverly Adams-Parker has been named assistant superintendent of Carroll County Public Schools effective July 1.

Carroll Schools Superintendent Dr. Shirley Perry the school system will have two assistant superintendents, with Dr. Mark Burnette continuing in his position. “These positions will have different responsibilities and duties,” she said.

INDEPENDENCE – As the Grayson school system faces a $1 million dollar shortfall in revenue due to loss of student funding and an increase in insurance costs, the supervisors are devising a plan to meet the school board’s request for the county to contribute more than the minimum it its required to provide.

INDEPENDENCE — Independence Middle School Coach Charles Campbell was named the 2018 teacher of the year for the Grayson County Public Schools district, during a ceremony held May 14 at the GCHS auditorium.

Before the board’s regular monthly meeting, Campbell and seven other instructors were honored for their contributions to the school system during the 2017-18 school year.

Statistically speaking, she shouldn’t even be in college. It should have been almost impossible. After all, children who’ve been in foster care as teenagers have about a 3 percent chance of ever earning a college degree.

But Destiny Moody refused to be another statistic. In fact, she’s defied the odds most of her life.